but her freedom was not granted until someone paid as 500,000 bail to the iranian government. shourd did not talk about that or her health issues as she waited to leave tehran. >> i want to really offer my thanks to everyone in the world, all of the governments, all of the people that have been involved and especially, particularly want to address president ahmadinejad and all of the iranian officials that have -- religious leaders and thank them for their humanitarian gestures. i'm grateful and i'm very humbled by just the moment. >> reporter: shourd chose her words carefully, mindful that the two companions arrested with her more than a month ago when they strayed across the iranian border from iraq are still being held. >> my first priority is to help my fiance, shane bauer and my friend, josh fattal to gain their free he dom because they don't deserve to be in prison anymore. >> there is no indication from the iranian government that either of those men will be set free any time soon. the government says they will

continue to be held in pretrial detention much the u.s. state department called the release. >> the release of sarah shourd demonstrates iranian authorities have the aity to resolve these cases if they choose. iranian authorities made the decision to release sarah shourd. we hope they will make the same decision regarding josh fattal and shane bauer as soon as possible. >> who paid the half million bail for shourd's release is unclear. apparently, it was wired to a bank in oman because of u.s. sanctions against iran. it is also not clear exactly when shourd and her relatives will return to the united states, presumably to the los angeles area where she grew up. one u.s. official is quoted asz saying she will be in oman for at least a day. stay with nbc bay area news for continuing coverage of this developing story. you can also find the latest updates on our website at nbcbayarea.com and you can sign up for breaking news alerts as well. an intense wall of fire, like nothing they have ever

seen. that's how the first firefighters on the scene of the san bruno explosion described it. we are also getting a first listen at the dispatch tape from that chaotic day. kimberly terry is live in san bruno with the first responders who talked about that explosion. kim? >> reporter: lisa, you can see the devastation left behind by this fire right here and most people were running for their lives last thursday, first responders were running toward those flames, hoping to help save lives. the first firefighters and police officers to arrive at the site of thursday's explosion say they were overwhelmed. >> never. never seen anything of this magnitude. >> reporter: the ensuing inferno was growing and they needed help. >> we could only go so far because the wall of fire was just incredibly, intensely hot. and it is beyond anything i can really describe. and so with the helpless feeling knowing there were people we couldn't get to. >> reporter: because of a close partnership with multiple agencies and nearby cities and counties, one call brought

hundreds here to help. even some of the residents stepped up. >> we do this every day, we chose to do this job, but we have people, every day people, running into houses, helping us. we had people doing anything they cork offering their services, their cars, their vans, their hoses, anything they could grab. >> reporter: there was another problem, no water at first. the explosion blew out a water main so the closest hydrants were dry. >> minutes seemed like hours, you are waiting for that water and you really can't do a whole lot until you have got t. >> reporter: while this was going on, evacuations were under way and police had to decide very quickly how to get people out of harm's way and at the same time, keep themselves safe. >> when you are going down the street toward a wall of flames in your own mind, thinking you're about as close as you can get to where your safety is going to be jeopardized but do you start one more house down? what if we start at at this house and somebody in the house next door that needs help?

>> reporter: for some of the emergency responders, this incident was very personal, some grew up here and have family and friends who live in this neighborhood. while they were here work, they say they didn't have much time to think about it wasn't until they were driving back home after their long shift that they really had a chance to wrap their head around the magnitude of what happened. we just found out moments ago that california governor arnold schwarzenegger will be here some time tomorrow to tour the devastation and get a firsthand look at t live in san bruno, kimberly terry, nbc bay area. for the first time, we hear the dispatch tapes from firefighters on that day. here is a brief portion of the emergency transmissions.

>> dispatch tapes from the night of the explosion. also today, the san mateo county cover in's office officially identified the fourth person killed in the explosion, 81-year-old elizabeth torres lived on clermont drive just yards away from the center of the blast. three of her family members are at san francisco general hospital with severe burns. torres lived in that home for decades. at least three people living in a home close to the torres house remain missing after the explosion. this is a picture of 50-year-old gregory bulles and his 17-year-old son. bulles 80-year-old mother has also not been seen since the explosion. in the aftermath of this deadly explosion, pg&e is finding itself under attack for proposal that would pass along the cost of wildfire damage to its customers. vicky wynn is live in san bruno to explain. >> reporter: pg&e says the cost

of insurance has become too high for it to bear alone, so pg&e has part nerd with the utility companies in southern california and together, they are asking the state for permission to pass along some of those costs to the customer. so, that means after any sort of wildfire that burns larger than an acre and damages either buildings or homes, well, those are costs that pg&e and its counterparts in southern california are hoping to be able to pass on to customers if the insurance country doesn't cover it. >> you care if they kick the door in looking for bodies. >> reporter: gary is seeing his home for the first time today. he was supposed to be here thursday night but spenten an extra day house sitting for the friend. >> the emthat passed away that is tragic, very tragic. so i think of that i'm lucky. >> reporter: he says pg&e's request to pass the cost of fighting wildfires onto customers sounds like a slap in the face after what happened here. >> raising you the rates?

i don't know. it's -- should have been setting aside all along. >> reporter: pg&e says it joins with the utility companies in southern california after the '07 wild fires. the companies say they want to be able to bill customers for costs not covered by insurance. >> the insurance market has really become volatile and uncertain here in california. >> reporter: but they say the san bruno incident is not part of this current proposal. >> the san bruno incident would not fall under the wildfire insurance proposal before the cpc. >> reporter: opponents say it would set a dangerous precedent. if utility companies don't have to batter cost of damages alone, then where is the motivation to protect customers? >> not now just a matter of rates, it is a matter of fundamental safety. >> reporter: so, how much exactly would your rate go up? well, that is the toughest question of all. pg&e stays really depends on the individual fire and how much damage there is and how many

expenses are actually left over after the insurance payment. cpuc is expected to vote on this issue some time in the spring. i'm vicky wynn with, nbc bay area news. >> an awful lot to be resolved. thank you very much. san francisco giants are stepping in to help the victims in san brown nope the team will call attention to the tragedy before tonight's game against the los angeles dodgers. $3 from every ticket sold will be donated to help victims. the team will be collecting donations from their fans. stay with nbc bay area news for continuing coverage of the san bruno explosion. you can get the latest updates on our website, nbcbayarea.com, including the raw dispatch tapes from the day of the explosion. still ahead tonight at 5:00, he is on the cutting edge of technology, but you will never believe what some are saying about steve jobs and weapons of the japanese airport. nobody gets to write your destiny but you. your future is in your hands. >> president obama speaks to

students in his annual back-to-school address. his strong message this year and how it took on a personal tone. the major vote today that could change the way you buy cough medicine. and a bay area man killed while on vacation in central america. we will have the latest on the investigation. i'm chief meteorologist jeff ranieri live at the san jose city hall rotunda where arts and food will come together tonight in a unique experience to kick off 01 san jose, this, plus your mild forecast, coming up. [ male announcer ] jerry brown's good old days. but what really happened? cnn -- not me -- cnn says his assertion about his tax record

was "just plain wrong." jerry brown went out there and took credit for the fact that the people of california voted for proposition 13, which lowered taxes, which he opposed. and now he's going around taking credit for it. he raised taxes as governor of california. he had a surplus when he took office and a deficit when he left. he doesn't tell the people the truth.

a man was shot last week at close range in a robbery attempt. he was on vacation with his long-time girlfriend and two other people. he reportedly walked to the boetsch alone after eating breakfast to play guitar when the shooting occurred. he spent 27 years as a psychiatric counselor at marin general hospital before retiring in 1998. a 7-year-old mystery may be solved in yosemite national park. the body of a livermore hike other who disappeared in 2003 may have been found a forest service ranger found the bones earlier this month. dna animal cis will confirm whether the remains are of fred classen. the livermore man was 46 years old when he disappeared on four-day backpacking trip in 2003. the newspaper, the indio register, reported classen's wallet and camera were found nearby and the hiker appeared to have died from a fall. park officials are not commenting. despite mayor gavin newsom's

promise to veto san francisco's board of supervisors today passed a higher alcohol tax, the first of its kind in the state. it calls for charging liquor distributors, wholesalers, brew pubs and winemakers for every gallon they sell. it breaks down to an extra 3 to 5 cents a drink. the charges would bring in an estimated $16 million a year for alcohol treatment and other alcohol-related services. mayor newsome, who has owned several restaurants, has promised to veto the measure. today's morning commute was a smooth one after a report of a sickout by san francisco muni operators failed to material ichlz the railway reported normal service all morning with only three drivers calling in sick. an anonymous flier had been circulated urging muni drivers to call in sick today through friday to protest new muni's sick leave policies and service changes. the union, which represents the operators, says the union did not sanction the flier. over-the-counter cough

medicines will stay right where they are, over the counter. an fda panel voted against putting those drugs hein the pharmacy counter or make them available by prescription to only because of increasing reports of abuse among teens. nbc bay area's correspondent reports. >> reporter: it is called row bow tripping and contains dxm. teenagers are take eight to ten times dotage in an attempt to get high. this is a safe medicine or drinking a whole bottle or multiple bottles of cough sur rip, you can have heart palpitations, seizures, lose consciousness. >> reporter: since 2004, the number of emergency room visits relate ed to dxm overdoses has risen more than 70%. >> it certainly is a greater problem than we know about.

>> we noticed a pattern that developed about the time school let out. first one, second, then seven or eight, high school age. >> reporter: representing the cough medicine industry, the consumer health care products administration says these medicines are very safe. abuse is low. and the harm from abuse is rare. over-the-counter cough medicines are easily accessible and legal. drug abuse experts say that may give kids a false sense of security about taking large amounts. >> this is not a cheap and easy way to get high and when your kids do this, they are creating as much risk to themselves as abusing illegal street drugs. >> reporter: products containing dxm are for sale in plain view. george kiriyama, nbc news. priceless tips today from the guru of style, debuting

today. going vogue at home on a budget. tips for buying secondhand online, berkus told our jessica aguirre on the set of our new york show that san francisco is one of his decorator hotspots. >> you have know which vall thet have one-of-a-kind shops that sell co-hdsean stuff and vintage thing. that is the easiest way to create character in a room. tomorrow, nate gets a visit from dolly parent and plays swap meet with the audience, coming up at 3 p.m. for right now, jeff ranieri out and about in san jose. i guess some tasty tidbits for tech kiss tonight. >> that was good. hello, jeff. >> yeah, they actually let me me into an event write get to wear a jacket. not too bad of a gig tonight, guys. yes, we are out here at the san jose city hall rotunda where art and food will be coming together in what is called a still life banquet. there isn't a better place to

hold this than in the rotunda, all about natural light and nature. as we pan up, you can see it spans several stories, completely encased in glass to help bring in that natural light. as we mentioned it is the kickoff to 01 san jose tonight. and with us right now, joel slayton, the executive director. tell us a little bit about what 01 is. >> 01 san jose is the largest and most prestigious contemporary art festival in north america, the nexus of art, technology and digital culture. >> sounds fantastic, a culmination of a loft things coming together. can anyone attend these events happening, over 100 event? >> over 100 art installations, 46 commissioned projects, 12 public artworks. there's a little bit of everything for any person that wants to attend. it allows you access to major exhibitions throughout the city with one pass. >> the event tonight will be

interesting, seafood key dee composing on screen, people are eating those inbreed yents, just one example of a lot of other things happening. where can people go to learn more about this real quick? >> the south hall of the san jose convention center, the signature exhibition taking place, out of the garage and into the world. >> thank you so much for joining us. let's look at the weather. the next 24 hours the fog off the coastline and the temperatures in the 50s for tonight. another cool night across the bay area. as we head throughout tomorrow, we are looking at a system lingering off the coastline, help to bring us more mild weather here across the bay area, temperatures five to seven degrees below average. what you will see temperatures in the upper 70s, even a few low

80s inland. at the coastline, stay with the 60s, coming found here to san jose for anything that has to do with 01 san jose and at kickoff, temperatures will be dropping into the 50s. by tomorrow, when 01 begins here in san jose, people can come out and enjoy the art and everything culminating together, we are looking at conditions in the upper 70s. the lafayette art festival this saturday and sunday, could have hearing it as well beginning on friday. we are going to be covering. starts saturday, sunday. have beer, wine and more art, when you think of the bay area a lot of art these days. 7-day forecast, temperatures in the upper 70s, low 80s, slight chance for showers on friday as we look into the north bay, kind of this unusual weather pattern, still back here in the bay area. you can see the table is set. i actually get to eat tonight. i'm not sure how i got a ticket. look at this they actually have

some natural light sitting here, we can pan over to this, on the table. and this is part of the still life banquet dinner tonight, where once again, going to have projection screens showing the food decomposing as you're eating those same ingredient. it is very interesting. going to talk to the artist and chef tonight. i'm going to have a full belly when i come back. >> very nice. like eating out of the compost bin. >> be a lot better. >> thank you, jeff. still ahead at five what has five points and could be dangerous in the answer might just lie in steve jobs' luggage. new reports on a possible staff knew at a japanese airport. despite some harsh comments, democratic candidate jerry b agets big gets a big endorsement from a former president. we will be right back. introducing the samsung fascinate powered by verizon.

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i want to see the words "made in america" again.

former president bill clinton endorsed jerry brown, two days after brown aimed nasty comment at clinton. yesterday, brown apologized for questioning clinton's honesty when he made a comment about the monica lewinsky scandal. brown was responding to an attack ad by meg whitman, which showed clinton criticizing brown's record as governor during the 1992 presidential primary n a statement today, mr. clinton said brown would be an excellent governor. brown says he is honored of the endorse. don't forget, jerry brown and meg whitman will debate on october 12th here on nbc bay area. nbc's tom brokaw will moderate from dominican university in san raffaele. governor schwarzenegger took a ride on japan's bullet train today. he and 100 california business leaders in asia promoting everything from tourism to wine to technology. it is also an opportunity to research the kind of major transportation investment california is planning. >> i'm very impressed with

technology and also with the infrastructure itself, with the way the rails were built, the tunnels and everything. it is much more than just the rail, as you know. >> the governor wrapped up his asian trip in south korea, meeting with a pro-vichblgal governor, they agreed too boost scientific and technological exchanges, expand trade and strengthen their cooperation. president obama went become to the future he's delivered today's back-to-school address. he got a rock star welcome at philadelphia's masterman school with screaming and a standing ovation. the speech was broadcast to schools around the nation. the president recalled his own struggles with being a mixed-race kid and his mother's warnings that he better work hard. >> live is precious and part of what makes it so wonderful is its diversity, that all of us are different and we shouldn't be embarrassed by the things that make us different. we should be proud of them. >> the president also announced his second commencement challenge, calling on schools to

better prepare students for college and careers. he promised to speak at the graduation ceremony of the winning with school. >> we will be right back with steve jobs and his alleged ninja obsession.

as governor, he cut waste got rid of the mansion and the limo budgets were balanced. $4 billion in tax cuts. world class schools and universities. clean energy promoted. 1.9 million new jobs created. california was working. i'm jerry brown. california needs major changes. we have to live within our means; we have to return power and decision making to the local level-closer to the people and no new taxes without voter approval. jerry brown the knowledge and know-how to get california working again.

apple tonight is denying reports that ceo steve jobs is a ninja, well, sort of a japanese magazine called "spa" claims jobs is board from boarding his private jet over the summer when a security scan showed he had he had a ninja-throwing star in his carry-on. jobs says only an idiot would hijack his own plane. even though apple denied the episode, 90 news outlets picked

up the stores. jobs is only a ninja making us buy new expensive toys every six months. only true. >> that was too good a story for news outlets to pass up. nightly news is next. see you again at 6:00. [ woman on tv ] if you won't let me in, you can't really love me. i know about gayle. i don't know what you're talking about. if you just tell me what happened... [ ding ] [ man ] 35th and archer. next stop hamilton. [ brakes hiss ] ♪ [ male announcer ] now you can watch hit tv shows on your iphone when you get at&t u-verse tv. at&t. rethink possible.